By Jack Linden
Too many on the far right have forgotten some of their history. They have chosen to overlook most of American history, namely the time around the writing of the Declaration of Independence and the signing of the Constitution of the United States.
Abraham Lincoln was wrong in his Gettysburg address when he said that “four score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought upon this continent a new nation ...” In reality, there were 13 new nations that joined into a confederation. Each had its own currency, its own tariffs, etc.
In essence, it was a mess. Read the pleas of George Washington, begging for troops to fight the Revolutionary war. Hear the pleas of soldiers who were ill equipped and underpaid – or not paid at all – because several states refused to send troops or money.
What many in the far right are overlooking is that the “founding fathers” who wrote the Constitution were not creating a smaller government but rather a stronger one. They were involved in a revolution by the very creation of the Constitution of the United States, even to the point of dictating how it was to be ratified. They overthrew the Articles of Confederation without firing a shot.
What we are seeing in far right politics is a regression. They would like to deny the will of the people and revert to a form of a confederacy. By only concerning themselves with the wishes of the gerrymandered, representative districts, they are negating the will of the totality of the nation. They are demanding 100% allegiance to their individual causes rather than what is in the best interests of the whole.
Basically, the politicians of the far right want a reactionary period or total anarchy. They want to get elected to an institution that they want to eliminate – namely the federal government. There is no common program offered to better the government, to do the fundamental duty of government according to the Constitution – to provide for in the for the general welfare.
The leaders have provided nothing positive. Their mantra is “we want our country back.” What does that mean? Where has their government been and who has had it?
The far right in the Republican Party wants something that is only a figment of its collective imagination. They want a fictionalized style of life that never really existed. They have forgotten that it was George Washington who was the only President to lead the military against the people of the United States when he led soldiers toward the Whisky Rebellion soon after the implementation of taxes. They want to go back to a period when very few men – and I say men because women were not allowed to vote – ran this country. They want to go to a mythical idea that the “closer to the people, the better the government.” That has been proven wrong time and again.
The world is a different and better place than it was in 1787. We in America have progressed; we have become democratic through turmoil, strife, and the striving by people who truly believe in the equality of all.
What we are seeing from the far right is a desire to return to a plutocracy, not just in politics but in the the rest of the people’s standard of living. America has progressed too far to return to the days when only one in four Americans could vote. We have come too far to return to where there are but two classes of people, one rich in the quality of life and the other taking what morsels they are given.
Let’s return to days of “what is good for the people” rather than “what is good for me.”
